Lubricator



P. G. BROWNJ LUBRIGATOR.- No. 23,661.

Patented Apr. 19, 1859.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PETER G. BROWN, OF SCHENEGTADY, NEW YORK.

LUBRIGATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 23,661, dated April 19, 1859.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER GRANT BROWN, of the city and county ofSchenectady and State of New York, have invented a certain new anduseful Improvement in Lubricators, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawing, which forms part of this specification, and in which Figure 1represents a side View of a lubricator constructed according to myimprovement; Fig. 2 a vertical section thereof; Fig. 3 a plan of the topwith the cap removed; Fig. 4 a horizontal section through the cup partor reservoir; and Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, views of certain portions, ashereinafter referred to, detached.

My improvement relates to oil-cups or lubricators for greasing thebearings of shafts and other running or working parts of machinery, inwhich it is desired to discharge the lubricating material from the oilcup on to the part or parts to be greased at regular or irregularintervals and in any given quantity or quantities. Such lubricatorsnecessarily employ a valve or its equivalent, and these valves have beenvariously constructed and arranged to effect the dis charge, some beingin direct, and others in indirect communication, at intervals, with thereservoir, and passing off the oil in various ways to the discharge.

Again, some lubricators have had in connection with them means forgiving an artificial increased pressure on the oil to be discharged, toinsure its free delivery; and others have been constructed to give aslow discharge by producing a partial vacuum on the surface of the oilin the cup.

Most or all of these previous arrangements are defective in certainrespects, and, as will be seen from the following description by thoseconversant with such contrivances, essentially or importantly differfrom the present improvement.

The portion marked A, in the accompanying drawing, represents the oilreservoir, provided with top and bottom plates, B, C, lower dischargingstem D, and top covering or cap E, through which latter the oil may beintroduced to the reservoir by an aperture, a, and correspondingaperture, 6, in the top plate C.

The bottom plate, B, has a curved oblong or other suitably shapedaperture, 0, in it, in communication with the. interior of thedischarging stem, D.

F, is a valve, here shown of disk form, with a hole, d, through it, atsuch a distance from its center as in the transverse of the valve, saidhole will pass over the opening, 0, in the bottom plate B, the valvebeing arranged to lie on and travel over said bottom plate.

G, is the valve shaft working in a socket, e, at bottom, and projectingup through the reservoir, top plate, and cap.

H, is an air chamber or tube, arranged to lie on top of the valve overthe aperture, 0, in the bottom plate B, and projecting upward throughthe oil in the reservoir so as to be in communication with the airoutside of or above the oil, say with the air space of the cap E. Saidair chamber may be hung so as to press down upon the valve by itsweight, or it may be forced down by a spring into close contacttherewith.

Now, supposing the valve, F, to be in such position in or in relation tothe reservoir, A, as that the aperture, (Z, in the valve is out ofcommunication with the air chamber H and discharge aperture, 0 saidhole, d, will receive and become charged with oil from the reservoir;and on the valve being moved, reciprocated or turned so as to cause itsaperture, cl, to come under cover of or in communication with the airchamber H and discharge aperture, 0, the drop or portion of oilcontained in the aperture, (1, of the valve will be detached anddischarged or distributed through the opening, 0, down into the stem, orotherwise, to the journal or part to be lubricated; and on the vah'ebeing moved so as to pass its aperture,d, out of communication with thedischarge and into communication with the oil in the reservoir, it willbecome again charged to repeat the supply to the journal when broughtagain in connection with the discharge. It is in connection with suchaction that the air chamber, H, performs an important part. It may, asit does here, act as a striker or cut-off to limit the amount dischargedby the valve each time to the quantity con tai'ned in the valveaperture, (Z but, its

prominent function is, to insure a free end mosphere on it whenseparated from the.

main body of oil in the cup, lessens the tend ency of the drop to hangand insures its discharge or distribution at the proper time and place.The receiving aperture, (Z, in the valve may be of any suitable size notless than will make the oil therein form a drop capable of relievingitself under the circumstances named as regards atmospheric pressure.

The same action may be carried out under various forms, which it is notnecessary here to specify at length, including difference in the shapeof the cup, its valve, air chamber, or discharge, or in the arrangementof the same. The action of the valve may be reciprocating, or revolving,or intermittent-revolving; and, as I design-such lubricator, in itsgeneral application, to be automatic in its action and to be set inmotion by or in connection with the machinery which it serves tolubricate, so as to discharge oil at regular or irregular intervals asrequired, automatic lubricators of different kinds being common,I preferto adopt an intermittent-revolving motion to the valve which governs thedischarge from the cup, by employing such an arrangement of mechanicalmeans as that, on an operating lever, I, or its equivalent, connectedwith the lubricator, being struck and moved intermittently, either inthe same direction or in opposite directions, by any suitable stopattached to the machinery in motion, the valve itself will only becaused to move in the one direc tion, so as to avoid interference withthe timely discharging action of the lubricator on the motion of themachinery being reversed or from any other cause. The means foraccomplishing this may be varied, but the following will suflice toexplain.

Secured to or on a square portion of the valve shaft, G, so as to turnwith it, is a flange socket, K, arranged to sit in a recessed bearing inthe top plate, C. This flange socket (K) has pivoted to it a dog, f,acted on by a spring, 9, and made to bite into a ratchet, 70, which isfast, to a sleeve, L, that fits and turns on the upper or roundedportion of the valve shaft, G, and that carries the operating lever, I,of the lubricator. Attached to this sleeve, L, is also an arm, h bracedor acted on at either side by springs, z', '5 which are secured to thetop plate C.

Now, supposing the traveling stop of the machinery, that serves toactuate the lubricator, be moving so as in its course to strike and movethe lever, I, to the left, and with it the sleeve, L, and ratchet, h, agiven number of teeth; the spring, 71, will be moved or acted upon sothat, on the stop freeing itself from contact with the lever, I, saidspring a will throw the arm, If, and ratchet, h,

back to their normal position, and the ratchet; it, thus moving back,will act upon the dog, f, and flange-socket, K, which latter being fastto the valve shaft, G, gives a corresponding motion to and turns thevalve, F, a given distance.

On the contrary, supposing the traveling stop to act upon the lever, I,so as to move it to the right, then, the ratchet, h, being set in motionby such action, will, through the dog, f, and flange socket, K, move thevalve, F, in the same direction as before, for another given distance,and on the stop freeing itself from contact with the lever, I, thespring, 2' acting on the arm, 72 will throw the ratchet back to itsoriginal position, and with it the operating arm, I, which, by means ofthe springs z, i is thus kept or returned to one and the same positionto insure its uniform action by the traveling stop. Thus, the aperture,(Z, in the valve, F, having been passed over the discharge, willnot befilled again and returned to the discharge, other than in its duecourse, by any reversal in the motion of the device which actuates thelever, I.

To govern the frequency of discharge, the arm, I, may be made tocontract or expand, or the stop which operates it be constructed to setin or out, so as to give more or less motion, each intermittent action,to the valve, and so cause it to be a longer or shorter time in bringingits aperture around to the discharge. Instead of the valve moving, itmight be stationary and the cup with its air chamber be set in motion,to produce a like effect; which arrangement could only be regarded asequivalent. Also, where the lubricator is attached to a travelingportion of the machinery so as to move along with it, instead of theoperating lever, I being struck by a traveling stop, it may be set inmotion by coming in contact with a stationary stop.

I claim 7 1. The combination of the reservoir, A, provided with adischarging aperture, a; valve, F, having a receiving aperture, (Z, init; and air chamber, H; or the equivalents thereof; when said airchamber is arranged to control or assist the discharge substantially asspecified.

2. I likewise claim giving to the valve, directions thereof, essentiallyas herein set constructed and arranged as above deforth. 10 scribedwhich conveys the 011 from the res- In testnnony whereof, I havehereunto ervolr to the discharging aperture, an 1nsubscrlbed my name.

termittent revolving motion in one and the PETER G. BROWN.

same direction for and by the action of the Witnesses: handle, I, or itsequivalent, in either direc- J. F. CALLAN, tion of the travel of thelatter, or in reverse A. GREGORY.

